Blood on Satan's Claw

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Horrorphile - March 2009

The Blood on Satan's Claw

March 9th 2009 01:05

The English production Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), apparently was shot as The Devil’s Touch, then released as Satan’s Skin, but failed to capture audience attention so was re-released as The Blood on Satan’s Claw and has gone on to become a minor cult classic.

In 17th Centure England plowboy Ralph (Barry Andrews) discovers the rotting head of some human beast half buried in a field. Soon enough the children and adolescents of the local village are being converted into a satanic cult lead by a teenage seductress called Angel (Linda Hayden). It is up to a judge (Patrick Wymark) and his enforcers to try and put a stop to the deadly devil worshippers.

Linda Hayden as Angel

Written by Robert Wynne-Simmons, Blood on Satan’s Claw is much darker and more lurid than most of what was being produced in the Hammer horror camp. Although some of the movie can be interpreted as blackly humourous, the overall tone is far less tongue-in-cheek and much more hysterical, with some genuinely insidious and horrific moments.

Barry Andrews as Ralph

Patrick Wymark as the Judge

Director Piers Haggard infuses a convincing touch to the look and feel of the rural period and his casting is excellent, especially young fearless Linda Hayden and veteran Patrick Wymark (who died shortly after completing the movie). Also good is young Michelle Dotrice (later famous as Frank Spencer’s wife Betty in Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em) as one of the Satanists whose diabolical involvement gets a little hairy.

The diabolical skull is unearthed

I remember seeing this movie on late night television (NZ’s The Sunday Horrors) many years ago. It was particularly memorable for two reasons; Linda Hayden’s full-frontal nudity and the grotesque and nightmarish appearance of the Devil himself in goat-beast guise. There was also a orgiastic ritual at movie’s end where a ridiculously voluptuous woman writhed naked in front of knife wielding Ralph, trying to coax him into cutting the Devil’s furry skin from his leg.

Beware the hairy skin of Satan!

The movie is still rated R18 in Australia, even though it’s nearly forty years old. Why? Two reasons I can safely assume; the bushy cum hither scene where Angel attempts to lure Reverend Fallowfield by her fleshy delights, and the disturbing scene where young innocent Cathy (Wendy Padbury) is enticed deep into the forest by two of Angel’s evil clan to be joined by the rest of the cult who then stand around whilst poor Cathy is overwhelmed by Angel’s presence and is subsequently raped by another male devil worshipper much to the morbid fascination of the group. Of course it didn’t help matters that Cathy had a patch of the Devil’s hairy skin growing on her back. She paid with her life.

Blood on Satan's Claw Wendy Padbury and Linda Hayden

Cathy (Wendy Padbury) is prepped for sacrifice by Angel and her Devil worshippers

Understandably rape is still regarded by censors as far worse than any graphic on-screen murder. For a movie of its kind Blood on Satan’s Claw is disquieting in a deep trashy kind of way. Despite its age it still has the power to shock, and the ritualistic rape scene definitely leaves an acrid taste in the mouth. There’s an element of dark absurdity as well, which only fuels the scene’s nightmarish resonance.

Ralph finds himself confronted by the Devil's carnal evil

The DVD transfer isn’t the greatest, making it hard to see what’s going on in the darkly-lit and nocturnal scenes, but there are some choice extras on the R4 release including a retrospective interview with Linda Hayden, a featurette on the making of the movie, and audio commentary from the Piers Haggard, Wynne-Simmons and Hayden.

The Devil in the flesh

Blood on Satan’s Claw is much better than The Witchfinder General (1968), that more well-known witch hunt flick which starred Vincent Price. Blood on Satan's Claw is more atmospheric, creepier and decidedly more lurid; all key ingredients for a pungent stew of erotic diabolism!

Here's the original trailer:

Blood on Satan's Claw DVD is courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment, many thanks!

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

2 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Damo

March 9th 2009 01:29

The Witchfinder General? That takes me back.

Yet this does look stylish though the soundtrack seems dated.

Comment by Bryn

March 9th 2009 04:21

Horrorphile

Damo, yeah score is probably the movie's weakest element.

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